


Downtime. Maybe

by xLoLix



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 21:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4278747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoLix/pseuds/xLoLix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Having a little domestic?'</p><p>--</p><p>It's only after I wrote this did it occur to me that this is the type of premise someone would usually turn into a 30k+ word epic. The whole organized crime ring was more of an after thought tbh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downtime. Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> This is an award winning fic.

Liv-24 paced down the halls of the Tower living complex briskly. She had a clue about where to find who she was after. It was early enough in the day for people to start going about their business. Well, it is for the people who synchronize their personal clocks to the Tower's. Exos and guardians who do most of their work offworld tend to come and go as they please. Come to think of it, Liv hadn't thought of that until this point. She continues on anyways, hoping this case was more like the former.

'Excuse me.' Liv hails down the attention of a nearby frame.

'Yes guardian?' Even for non-sentients, frames seem to always sound awed in the presence of guardians. Liv once overheard a city dweller merchant ask a frame a question. The frame sounded almost disgruntled, or like it couldn't be bothered. Liv wondered if she's just hearing things or if there is actually something up with that.

'Can you tell me which way D wing is?'

'Of course guardian.'

Just like the rest of the Tower, the living quarters were arranged in an open air complex. This area was the most eastward facing side. The morning sunlight filtered through the clouds and corridors as handsome shades of gold and pink. Liv was directed to a quiet corner, tucked away in an area stacked with crates and other scrap that has been stored away for later.

'You know,’ her ghost hums. ‘You could have very well asked me how to get here.'

'Eh. I thought I’d give you a break.'

The ghost rumbled discontentedly. Even now it continues to be increasingly chatty. Out in the field, it'll constantly feed her extra data. If she was any other kind of person, the hunter would have told her ghost off a long time ago. Liv has been learning to ignore the feed when she doesn’t need it or doesn’t want to spend the extra processing power to use it. At first this effort was deliberate. Now she’s gotten so used to tuning it out she started to do so by accident. Her ghost is starting to notice. She hasn't decided if she wants to feel bad about that.

Liv approached one of the doors with uncertainty. Without prompt, her ghost gave her the affirmative that this was indeed the correct destination. Before she could raise her hand to knock the door swung open.

'You don't look like a Kim.'

The man leaving the room froze in place, eyes wide and looking nervous. His outfit told Liv he was a warlock but then she noticed that the shirt under his longcoat was only half done up. Upon closer inspection he was pretty disheveled and half out of breath. He clearly wanted to get out of here in a hurry.

'Uhm,' his voice cracked.

The seconds seem to stretch between them. The awkwardness setting in heavily in the air. The man stays stock still while Liv idly looks over her shoulder at the sunrise.

'You're still here?' A voice came from further in the room.

Liv whips her head back around toward the open door, trying to figure out if the familiarity was real or imagined. Over the warlock's shoulder, she can see movement.

A woman appeared behind the warlock. She only had undergarments on and was chewing lazily on a bread roll. Tan, dark eyed and short, messy dark brown hair to match. Her features were sharp and angular. She leaned on the door frame sliding easily next to the warlock. 'Didn't you say you were going to be late for...' she trailed off, having clearly forgotten. She chewed off another piece of her bread roll as an excuse for her pause. It was convincing to a grand total of zero people. 'Um, your thing.' she finishes lamely.

The warlock stuttered an agreement. The woman gave him an encouraging pat on his rear as he made his leave, flustered and hasty. The poor guy's face flushed a deep shade of red as he passed by Liv. His eyes fixed so firmly on the ground you’d think he was going to write a book on how fascinating the floor tiles were.

'We should do this again some time!' The woman called after him. She takes a final bite of her roll and chews thoughtfully. 'What was his name again?' She asks absently, and then turns to Liv. 'He's probably not coming back anyways.' Stating simply, not sounding all too disappointed.

'You look more like a Kim.'

The woman hesitates. She looks Liv up and down. The recognition dawning on her. 'Oh. It's you.' Kim steps aside and gives a curt gesture, inviting Liv to step inside.

'Ouch!' Liv put a hand over her chest in a typical you-wound-me motion. 'And here I thought we were friends.' She took Kim up on her invitation and moves past her.

'Nice cape.' Kim gestures as she follows Liv inside, shutting the door behind them.

'Thanks. It's new. Listen, I need your help.'

Kim let out a sigh and scrubs her hand over her face and through her hair. 'Figured as much.' She makes her way to her open foot locker (would she ever close it?) and starts gearing up. 'Alright lets hear it.'

'J- just like that?'

Kim shoots her a look. The kind that told Liv that they both know it's a part of the conversation they're better off skipping over. Kim went back to laying out each piece of her armour and equipment. Methodical, uniform, and vaguely ritualistic. This was how Liv would describe Kim's routine.

'Uh. Okay,' Liv tries to distract herself with Kim's weapons bench to keep herself from staring. It would be impolite to stare. 'I'm going on a strike mission. I need a team, and I want you.'

'What, not confidant in who the Vanguard might assign to you?' Kim's bunk creaked under her weight as she sat down with her undersuit in hand. She was checking the seals and looking for tears when Liv chances a glance at her.

'Nah,' Liv said. She picks up a part at random from the bench. 'They're okay. But I know what you're all about. Oh, wow.' Liv was turning over the sniper rifle in her hands. It was a nice piece of hardware. She shifted her attention to the rest of the bench. 'Impressive collection you got here.'

'Huh?' Kim said, distracted.

The titan was already armoured up. For reasons that completely escape Liv, a lot of guardians have included "suiting up at ungodly speeds" in their skill set. Kim is one of them.

Kim moves over to stand next to Liv, peering over her shoulder. 'Oh that? Not really...' Kim trails off, her eyes wandering to the rifle slung over Liv's shoulder. 'Let me see that.'

Kim holds her hand out expectantly. Unsure what to expect, Liv obliges. With an experienced hand, Kim takes apart the rifle and takes quick stock of each component. Her expression goes from curious, to disapproving, to outright disgust.

'Ugh. Where did you get this?'

Liv gestures vaguely over her shoulder. 'Was all I could afford.'

'Oh, right. I’ve forgotten how new you are at this.'

Liv makes an indignant noise.

Kim reassembles the rifle with the same ease as before. 'If I have to interact with you on a regular basis, you should at least carry a half decent rifle. I have standards you know.'

'So what do you want me to do about it?' Liv whines.

'Come on,' Kim thrusts the reassembled rifle back at Liv. 'I'll buy.'

The hunter is almost left behind in her partner's quarters as she stands in bewilderment. Liv went from being vaguely offended to flattered by Kim’s offer in a matter of seconds. The heavy titan can't sprint worth squat but she likes to do things at a pace Liv can only barely keep up with.

Kim pauses at the door, waiting for Liv to start following her. She does.

'I know a guy,' Kim says. 'Don't worry, he's good.'

\--

'Holy shit you're terrible.'

Kim was right. The stock here is a little above average but nothing to write home about.

'Well, nice to see you too, Hakim,' said the gunsmith in an overly dramatic, insincere fashion.

The gunsmith is an exo named Kal-52. He doesn't have that polished shine to him the way guardian exos do, a kind of newness look as a result of rez culture. Liv never considered the possibility of ordinary exos in existence. It's been centuries. Had he been alive this whole time? Or was he miraculously salvaged and rebooted? Liv absently wonders what his life is like as well. What's it like being a merchant in the Tower? How does he run his business?

'You've downgraded.'

'I can't help it,' the gunsmith bangs a hand on his workbench. 'This is the best I’ve got. Mostly.'

The pair of guardians exchange glances and say nothing at first.

'Mostly?' Liv says quietly to Kim.

'Kal,' Kim started carefully. 'What is it that you’re not telling us?'

'No offense guardian, but I'm saving my best stock for more promising individuals.' He tries to hold Kim's intrusive stare but a flicker in the glow of his eyes gives him away. 'Okay you got me,' he sighs. He leans over the bench and reduces his voice. 'There's a black market for weapons in the City below. A smuggling ring right here in the Tower feeds it. Nothing big yet, but my usual traders aren’t supporting me the way they normally do.'

'How has nobody noticed this?' Liv cut in.

The exo shrugs. 'So far no one has caught on since experienced guardians are relying more and more on the Crucible and the various factions for decent weapons.'

'Why havent you mentioned this to the Vanguard?' Kim crosses her arms.

'And tell them what?' Kal shakes his head. 'I dont actually have any real proof.' The two guardians make obvious motions of skepticism. 'Hey! I know how these things work alright? I know the patterns. I know what to look for.' Kal puts his elbows down on his bench, fingers interlaced together. 'Besides, getting guardians involved would only make the problem worse.'

'What? How?' Liv asks, confusion clear in her voice. She figured that people under the protection of the guardians would be appreciative. The whole notion of people stealing from the Tower is bewildering. Wouldn't bringing this to the vanguards attention put a quick end to it all?

'You must be new here.' Kal says, nodding towards Liv.

'She is,' Kim says. An affectionate smile is playing across her lips. Its quickly replaced with a more serious tone when she turns to Liv. 'Guardians aren't exactly popular with everyone anymore. A lot of people are beginning to doubt our capabilities and our cause.'

'Giving guardians so much political sway hasn't won you many fans either.' Kal adds.

'Well what are we supposed to do?' Liv asked.

'Nothing,' Kim said. She had her thumb and forefinger pressed against her forehead in thought. 'Kal's right. We can't make a move as we are. Not as guardians.' Kim gives Liv a sidelong glance at that idea.

'I-- huh.' Liv caught on pretty quick.

'Hm,' Kal's eyes dimmed in that pseudo blink that exos do. 'Interesting proposal. Their operation is small like I said. Should be worth a shot.'

'Better now before it gets too big.' Kim pauses. She looks at the hunter with a perplexed expression on her face. 'Why do I feel like we're forgetting something?'

'Oh, I still remember I was assigned to a strike mission. Dunno about you though.' Liv teased. The hunter waved her hand in front of her face. 'Whatever. Some other chump will handle that when I don’t show up.'

'How responsible,' Kim deadpans. She addresses Kal next. 'Got a lead on where to start looking?'

Kal does. He suggests trying to approach the organization from the City as a 'potential buyer' instead of trying to hit the smuggling operation in the Tower. Finding out who runs the show and how the operation works as a friendly face puts them in a better position to decide how best to handle these guys.

'Before you go guardian,' Kal speaks up as Kim and Liv turn to leave. 'Make sure you’re not wearing the wrong colours.' Kal points to the titan's mark. Kim's mark is beige with purple trim. The Future War Cult's mark.

Liv tries her best to dredge up what she knows of the Future War Cult. Her ghost butts in on her train of thought with information on the topic. They're a smaller faction. Despite their size, FWC has a strong reputation. Led by an exo woman named Lakshmi-2, they're most well known for brokering information and secrets. Seems like an odd group for the more straightforward titan to be part of, but Liv knows better than to assume anything about her titan.

Kim sighs, almost mournfully. She rubs the cloth between her fingers. 'Thanks for everything Kal,' Kim says with a determined nod. 'We'll get this job done.'

**\--**

 

Anthony Gervais sat on a crate, attending to his new favourite toy. It was a nice piece of tech. Nothing he'd ever seen before. Then again, this kind of thing is deliberately kept out reach of anyone who hails from the City. Progress is slow, but well worth it. Stealing weapons was only the first step. With their efforts, power will be with the people. As it should be. The guardians are becoming obsolete. Humanity can hold its own, and people needn't leave the City to prove it.

Self righteous bastards. The guardians. Gervais felt a certain kind of glee at the thought of Monolith working right under their noses. The guardians precious tower isn't as untouchable as they like to believe. His group, Monolith, so adequately named, will exploit this weakness.

For now, his sights were set on some more immediate matters. If he has any hope of pulling this off, he's going to need allies. Good ones. Smart ones. People who know where they stand. That latter trait has been exceptionally difficult to pin in this latest newcomer. Initial reports pegged the new arrival as naive and overeager. Not something his group hasn't dealt with before. It can be a headache sometimes.

It also made the newcomer easy to like. She knows her way around a rifle, which is useful. Seemed like they could have gotten a lot of good use out of her. Someone like that has an easier time swaying people to see things their way. She's already recruited someone to basically act as a 'bodyguard'. Its all a little too perfect to anyone paying attention, and Ronja Winter has been doing just that.

Ronja is a good friend and close ally. Anthony and her go way back. She's always had a keen sense about people. Who to trust and who not to trust. She hasn't been wrong before and he sure as hell isn't going to start doubting her now.

_She never mentioned her name_ , he remembered Ronja saying.

_So she wants to be anonymous. Nothing new._ He had asked what tipped her off after she told him that the 'naive kid' act was a front.

_people who are that eager to please are also eager to give themselves away too._

__

It seemed inconsequential. After that however, he started noticing other things now that his attention was on the issue. Ronja's warnings became increasingly impossible to ignore. You don’t come across people like that by accident, but they can still be useful. So long as you tip things in your favour.

That's where his shiny new sniper rifle comes into play. An LDR 5001. Or at least that’s what the casing claims. He has no idea if it actually performs as well as it looks. He's hoping to find out very soon.

There's the signal from Ronja. Light reflected from a pocket mirror. It was a method that was beginning to catch on for all their operations. This time, it meant for him to get into position. He propped the sniper rifle in place and watches the meeting through the scope. From his high perch, he can see everything.

Ronja was standing across an exo, giving some talk. All while skirting important details and dodging any intrusive questions. They don’t trust this one just yet. This was the newcomer.

Anthony was told he'd know her when he saw her. That was an understatement. The exo is damn near impossible to miss. She had a bright red paint job. It would make taking her out laughably easy. But that’s not what he's after. No...

Someone that good is worth keeping around. Its a matter of putting her in her place. Let her know who runs the show around here so to speak.

His sight moves over to the right. Hovering over the newcomer's shoulder is that bodyguard of hers. This one is a full head taller. She looks more in line with what you'd expect from the less savoury parts of the City. Tan from being under the sun. Imposing way of holding herself to get people to back off. She also had war paint. An old practice resurrected after the Collapse. It was an 'X' shape in white paint. His finger moves to the trigger and gears himself up to line up the shot.

'X marks the spot,' Anthony Says mockingly to himself.

This was a lesson the newcomer won't soon forget. He pulls the trigger.

**\--**

 

'Oh you've got to be fucking shitting me,' Liv yells when it finally registers what's happened. Her eyes immediately shift from Kim's body to the skyline. She lets out a huff of annoyance. 'And here I thought we could be friends.'

The two guardians had been making such good progress. It started out with just asking the right questions at the right bars. There were a few close calls ranging from warnings from the bar owners to fistfights to full on bar brawls. Those really sucked. Eventually they came across a few choice individuals who come from a group that calls itself Monolith.

Then they eventually met Ronja, a determined leader type. Liv was certain they found their target. That was until she caught Kim looking distant, caught up in her own train of thought. She was having one of those 'gut feeling' moments so Liv agreed to let this whole charade play out just a little longer. Just to see where it leads.

It lead to Kim getting shot while Liv takes off running, shoving Ronja aside and almost sending her off her feet. Liv actually liked Ronja. She almost felt bad. Almost.

A flurry of chaos ensued. The sound of people shouting and scrambling to move began to fill the alleys. She can hear snatches of 'stop her!' and 'she's over here!' as she runs.

 

The alleys were narrow and made narrower still by piles of scrap and junk. This was a less frequented part of the City. Old warehouses and storage units mostly used for scrap and salvaged junk that guardians bring in. Things stored here are the kind of things City folk are welcome to buy and trade. It's close to the Tower. Perfect for Monolith.

Running to avoid getting shot should be no problem in this environment. The problem now is that these people have the advantage of the territory. Liv is getting cornered for sure unless she makes a break for somewhere specific. Her best bet is to track down that sniper. Between her and her ghost, they've narrowed down the sniper’s location to a few specific locations. Right now all she needed to focus on was closing the gap between herself and her target.

The hunter sprints down the narrow alleyways, dodging and weaving between carts, crates and scrap piles. The high walls of the warehouses puts her out of sight of the sniper. Gunshots go off. Liv hears the ping of bullets hitting the walls just narrowly missing her. She curses under her breath. Even if she did have a rifle she couldn't use it. Warning shots still run the risk of hitting and killing someone. Not being allowed to kill is a restriction she'd have never imagined having to deal with.

'Hold your fire!'

That sounds like Ronja. Liv didn't have time to wonder what the implications of that new order was. She was glad the no killing thing was mutual. Well.

The alleyways here were maze like. These guys knew what they were doing and where they needed to be. Her ghost did its best to plot out the best way through. Dead ends in the form of an armed gunman was starting to get increasingly annoying.

'There she is!'

'Don't move!'

Two of them managed to head her off and she skid to a halt. One of them had a rifle trained at her chest. The way behind her was filling up with the more direct pursuers. She can see Ronja among them. The hunter still has a way out. Liv just wishes she didn't have to use it. She activates her invisibility cloak.

Confused shouts fill the alley. Liv makes a jump for the rooftops. Damnit. She was getting close but she's probably in plain view of that sniper and she still needs to lose the other guys. If they corner her one more time she’s done for. At least here she can move more freely.

She can see her target now. A building that had the best vantage point for the meeting location. The only building with a second floor. It was probably used as an office for warehouse workers and contractors in a past life. The balcony her ghost leads her through was one of the possibilities. The other was up on the roof and one other possible location outside this building.

Liv knew she'd be cornered on the roof. She might make it off unscathed jumping off the roof but it won't be fun if something goes wrong. She figures she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. She hears Ronja and the rest of the gang storming in through the doors on the ground level. She takes that as a sign and bolts up the stairs.

Liv skids to a stop halfway across the roof. There’s an impressive looking sniper rifle pointed right between her eyes from the far end. It took a few seconds for Liv to register the person attached to said rifle. A fairly relaxed looking guy was lounging around on a couple of crates. Only one hand was holding the rifle. In other words he wasn't planning on using it.

'Wh... You're still here?'

He raises an eyebrow.

'I, uh... honestly didn't know what I was expecting.' In hindsight, coming directly after the shooter had been a pretty rash decision.

'Me neither,' he sets the rifle down across his lap. 'you must be Liv. Nice to meet you. I'm Anthony Gervais, leader of this fine establishment.'

Arrogant asshole. Liv doesn't like this guy already.

'You left your partner behind without a second thought.' Gervais notes casually. 'That was pretty cold of you.' He drew out the word 'pretty'.

'Eh,' Liv shrugs. 'I'll worry about that later.'

Just then, Ronja and the rest burst through the door and came pouring out onto the roof.

'Anthony!' Ronja came in breathless, taking gasps of air in between words. 'She's a guardian!'

The look in Gervais' eyes flashed with something dark. Hatred maybe? It was gone before Liv could put her finger on it.

'Welp. Cat's outta the bag.' Liv let out a nervous laugh, conscious of where her hands are. Last thing she needed was one trigger happy kid getting worked up if she got "too threatening". She wouldn't put it past these guys to have at least one person who'd like to kill her just so they can say they've done it.

'Certainly does look that way.'

Liv whips her head around towards the door. Kim strides in with a hand cannon. She casually clicks open the barrel for ammunition, then locks it back into place with an easy flick of the wrist. Kim usually goes for a rifle. Must have been the only thing she could get her hands on. Liv quietly felt sorry for whatever poor sucker she pilfered that from.

'So the vanguard noticed.' Gervais says. His expression still on the grim side. Then he opens his arms wide and flashes a grin. 'Welcome guardians.' He tips his head in a mock bow.

'Actually the Vanguard doesn't know anything yet,' Kim says. No one stops her from boldly walking across the roof towards Gervais, sparing Liv a glance as she passes. 'It’s just me and my friend here. But we are still guardians. I'm sure you know what we're capable off.'

The atmosphere was uncharacteristically easygoing. Like two friends getting together for afternoon tea. The difference between the two became apparent when Liv sees Kim holster her hand cannon, arms free, while Gervais' grip tightens on his own weapon.

'You're pretty ballsy,' said Kim. 'Stealing from the vanguard. When Liv and I first set out to find you, she thought it would be a good idea to find you and deal with you, ah, directly. Instead I insisted we play this nice. I figured someone smart enough to pull that off should be a pretty reasonable kid. And then you went ahead and shot me.'

'Rude.' Liv threw in before she could stop herself.

'Exactly,' Kim points to Liv. 'Now I'm just curious. Why?'

'Fuck off guardian,' Gervais spits. 'We don’t need you.'

Liv cringes. He shouldn't have said that. Even without seeing her face, she can see Kim's mood getting dangerous.

The titan tips her head to the side. 'You think our job is easy.' It's a statement. 'Alright. Im going to show you something.'

Confusion erupts once more when Kim pulls her own vanishing act. Only this time it's not a cloak, and she's taking Gervais with her. All attention and weapons are back on Liv. She turns to face the crowd and takes a few steps back, her hands come up defensively.

Demands like 'Where is she?' and 'What did she do?' and most commonly 'What happened to Anthony?' were all coming at once. It took a minute before things settled down enough for anyone could actually hear what Liv was saying. Not like it made much of a difference.

Liv was saying things like 'Dammit Kim.' and 'I hate you forever.' and naturally 'I swear I'm going to kill her when she gets back.'

'Well?' Ronja prompts. 'Where did she take him?' She was shaking with anger, frustration clear on her face.

'Um,' Liv starts, she was clearly stalling. Surprising and impressing no one. 'Well, y'see--'

Then for the third time that day, someone vanished. Liv imagines the reaction and outrage was largely the same. Only this time she wasn't around to enjoy the show. Instead she was sitting in her one seater ship as it continues its lazy orbit around Earth. The exo sighs. What a cheap trick.  She doubts she will ever be welcome back but that was the least of her worries. Not like she'd go back any time soon.

She sets a course for the Tower, letting her ghost and autopilot take over while she stare at the ceiling. Grateful for a moment of peace.

 

 

**\--**

 

'First of all; How dare you.' Liv, back in her usual gear, intercepted Kim in one of the main lobbies of the Tower. She figured Kim would make her way through here eventually.

It was immediately obvious to Liv that there was a weariness hanging heavy in the air around her. Her pace is deliberate and slow. At Liv's greeting, she sighs and her shoulders slump slightly, but the titan still stands tall. _Shit. It's been 17 hours since yesterday's grand adventure_ , Liv realizes.

'I got caught up in the moment.' Kim said it like she was annoyed. The easy grin meant she was glad to see her friend.

'Ah-- wh-- Hold on where you going?' It was a good question. Kim didn't even slow down for Liv. The titan was not heading for her quarters. Y'know like a sane person. 'Also, what the hell is _that_?'

The very recent memory of being on the receiving end of an impressive looking sniper rifle came to mind. Liv was sure coincidence was not in play. The very same rifle was hanging over Kim's shoulder.

'Oh, God please don't tell me you solved this problem with punching.'

That earned Liv a look.

'What?' The exo throws her hands up. 'I can never tell with you!'

They continue on, heading down to the lower levels of the Tower. Down to where the gunsmiths and cryptarchs spent most of their days. Soon they arrive at a familiar workbench. Kim sets the sniper rifle down. Hand resting on the barrel.

Kal-52 looks up and lets out a low whistle. 'Guess you don't need my services anymore.' He tentatively runs a hand over the casing, examining it with a skilled eye.

'Actually, this is yours,' Kim slides the sniper rifle across the bench. 'You should be seeing the rest of your usual stock coming in in the next few days.'

'That's a lot sooner than your last estimate.' The exo eyes Kim suspiciously. 'Did you punch your way through this problem?'

Liv unsuccessfully tries to stifle a giggle.

Kal shakes his head and rolls his eyes. 'Titans I tell you.' He says, sounding more like a disappointed parent.

That earns him a defeated sounding sigh. Kim is pinching the bridge of her nose and mumbles something. 'There were complications alright.'

'Usually that would slow things down.'

'Kal,' Kim snapped, surprising both exos. 'Job's done.'

Kal studies Kim for a moment. He gives a slow nod. 'Alright.' He pushes the sniper rifle back across his bench, mirroring Kim's earlier gesture. 'Heh. I get it. Shut up and pay up.'

Kim hesitates or, her exhaustion is getting the better of her, and it's making her sluggish. She thrusts a thumb at Liv. 'Her. She did most of the work.'

'If you say so, titan.' Kal gestures at Liv to step in closer. 'Let me get you acquainted. LDR 5001. Heavy punch. Manageable recoil. Good range. Better if you know how to mod it.' The gunsmith picks up the rifle and hold it out to the hunter. 'Keep it clean and you'll get along just fine.'

Liv accepts the payment. She feels a little weird about taking the gun that managed to off her partner. Then again, that might be why Kim wants Liv to take it. It would probably feel weirder to use a gun that killed you. The titan knows firsthand what it can do. Making sure it's with someone she trusts would make the most sense. knowing it would be put to good use wouldn't be enough for Kim. Liv would make sure the weapon wouldn't betray the titan again.

'Hey hold on. I'm not done yet.' Kal holds up a hand before either of them could make a move to leave. 'Kim, I get the feeling you were more involved than you're letting on.

'Listen.' Kal keeps talking before Kim can protest. 'I know you already have a decent rocket launcher but I want you to take this. The rockets detonate when they get close to your target. Makes it hard to miss, even for idiots who like to take crapshots under fire.' Kal jabs an accusatory finger at Kim.

Liv snorts at that.

'Hey.' Kim sulks. Then she shakes her head. 'Wait, how? We could never get the IFFs to work.' That last offhand comment sounded more like she was saying that to herself.

'There is no IFF.' Kal says. 'It detonates near any target that moves. So don't get too trigger happy. You know how some guardians get when it comes to friendly fire.'

'Good to know I have friends who have so much faith in me.' Kim deadpans.

Both guardians thank Kal and go their separate ways.

 

 

**\--**

 

It's been a couple weeks since their adventure together in the back alleys of the City. After so many weeks working together on a single mission, it felt odd for Liv to be back on her own in the field. Touching down on other planets and working with strangers felt foreign. It won't be long until that feeling goes away and it's business as usual.

Then her ghost relays a message meant for her. _When was the last time you landed your ship in the hanger?_ No tag. No attached ID.

Oh. Um, well the right answer would be Not since I was forged. But the hunter decided a more embellished answer was in order. _A while. Got something planned?_ Her ghost asked her if she was sure about sending it with no tag or ID and 'yes mooom I'm sure!'

It didn't take long for Liv to get to the Tower's hangar bay to be greeted by Kim out of armour. Clunky armour doesn't translate well to this kind of work. Hunters don't have that problem. Liv was lucky like that.

Kim holds out a wrench. 'Come on. We'll get started on yours first.'

'Why are we doing this again?' Liv asks. She takes the wrench and turns it over in her hands. She's good at the one thing she was built for. At least she supposed she was built with a purpose in mind. Yet people still feel the need to drop a foreign object in her hand and tell her she needs to learn something new on top of everything else. 'Couldn't Holiday's team handle this?'

'Yes,' Kim agrees. 'But I like being in Holiday's good books. That means pitching in and doing the easy stuff yourself.' She starts off in the direction that Liv came from but stops when she realizes her partner hasn't moved. 'Oh come on, it won't be that bad.'

'Right.' The exo sighs and follows Kim. Her ghost takes the opportunity to start streaming her all kinds of data on ships and how to fix them! Goody.

Kim was right. It wasn't actually that bad. Just tedious. Everything was so fiddly. Once she burned the tip of her gloves off. ('I told you not to do that were you even listening?' Her ghost would say.) She was worried she might have to do a maintenance check on herself in case she also damaged her touch sensory system as well.

At one point, Liv sat up on her pilot's chair after screwing in some bolts for a panel under the main console. She was finished with testing and checking nav, autopilot and various scanners and sensors. Making sense of the software came more naturally to Liv. She looked out the viewport to see Kim straighten up holding a rag, wiping whatever grime she could off her hands. That is when Liv starts to remember the last time she saw Kim out of armour. Curiosity got the best of her. She hopped out of the ship and onto the wing, sitting with a leg under her.

'Done?' Kim asks without looking up.

'Yeah. Uh, hey I was wondering,' Liv's drawn out tone caught the titan's attention. She's watching Liv carefully, eyebrows drawn together. 'Whatever happened between you and Gervais?' Liv crosses her arms high on her chest, wondering if she asked the wrong question. 'You avoided answering Kal...'

Kim tosses the the rag in her hand down unceremoniously on top of the tools she had laid out. She takes up a spot next to Liv, leaning on the wing with her forearms. 'I, uh,' she makes a show of sniffing and wiping her nose, smudging black engine grime on her cheek. 'May or may not have taken that Gervais kid on a field trip.'

Liv tilts her head on the side. 'Wait, where?' That only earns her a sideways glance from Kim. The titan was being deliberately vague and Liv hates when she does that. 'I don't-' Liv stammers. 'What did you do? You didn't...' She feels the implication Kim is trying to make just outside of her grasp. Trying to fit the pieces together. When an idea clicks in place she's not sure she believes it, and tries to convince herself she's wrong. Liv reduces her voice to a stage whisper. 'You took him outside of the city?' A nod. 'A normal person? Outside the city? You were gone for 17 hours!'

'He's alive,' she reassures. 'To tell the tale.'

'Jesus Christ Kim,' Liv gasps. 'Remind me never to get on your bad side because you can be fucking terrifying.'

Kim lets out a low laugh her expression quickly turns grim. 'If the vanguard finds out I pulled a stunt like that--'

'You'd be exiled.'

'And you'd be obligated to bring that to the attention of the Vanguard.'  Liv couldn't quite read the expression on Kim's face. Was she chewing on the inside of her bottom lip?

'I dunno,' Liv shrugs. 'Telling the Vanguard about this doesn't feel right. Kind of a trend lately.'

That earns Liv a genuine grin.

'What was it like?'

'Shithead wouldn't've lasted five minutes without me.' Kim deadpans.

Liv giggled at that.

'This isn't over.'

'Ehhh of course not.'

'Monolith is still active. More people like Gervais are still going to turn up.'

'Of course there will be.'

'You're okay with that?'

'Sure,' Liv shrugs again. 'I mean. You could see it when we were talking to those guys. They don't realize just how safe and lucky they are. If this is a symptom of our success then sure. They can think whatever.' Liv pauses. 'Kinda reminds us what we're fighting for.'

'So long as they're not stealing illegal arms of course.'

There's a moment of thoughtful pause between them.

'Come on,' Kim pushes off from the ship’s wing. 'We're done with yours. I need mine tuned up too.'

Liv groans. 'So tedious.'

The titan, already halfway across the hangar bay with the collection of borrowed tools, yells over her shoulder. 'Remember what you're fighting for Liv!'

  
'Only when it’s convenient!' Liv quips back. She hops off her ship's wing and chases after her partner.

**Author's Note:**

> What kind of award could a fic possibly get? An A-.
> 
> I'm dead serious by the way. My mark for my final project would have been higher had I actually made the accompanying essay long enough. How the hell do you expect me to write a thousand words? I'm a goddamn chemistry major! I only know how to be concise and to the point! Look at this graph!
> 
> For whatever reason I'm not as satisfied with this one... Honestly contemplated not including the bonus image too. :/
> 
> FUCK YOU LULU. I'm never gonna ask you to live read fics ever again. (Just kidding, this was highly entertaining.)


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